


Widow's Bite

by WithTheKeyIsKing



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, BAMF Clint Barton, Clint Barton Feels, Dark Natasha Romanov, F/M, Loki Does What He Wants, Mind Control, Protective Clint Barton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-22
Updated: 2015-04-22
Packaged: 2018-03-25 00:39:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3790150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WithTheKeyIsKing/pseuds/WithTheKeyIsKing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Fury had assigned Natasha to guard the Tesseract instead of Clint? What if Loki mind controlled her instead as well?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Widow's Bite

The Black Widow watched over the proceedings with the sharp eye of a trained agent. Selvig and all of the other scientists were chattering either excitedly or nervously, moving from one computer to the other at almost lightning speed.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Natasha stepped forward, looking at the cosmic cube, the Tesseract, with interest. "Wait, my dear!" Selvig's shaky voice called from behind her. She turned and gave him a questioning look.

Selvig swallowed and cleared his throat. "The cube...it's acting out, that's why Agent Coulson has non-essential personnel evacuating, and why Director Fury's coming. You shouldn't get too close to it, no telling what it'll do." Natasha nodded her understanding and took a few steps away again, blending into the shadows to wait and watch.

When Fury had decided to assign her to protective detail and sent Clint on the undercover mission instead, Natasha had been a little miffed; but she had to admit that it was an alright job. Just too little action to really keep her on her toes, but just enough to do that she didn't punch a wall from pent up energy. Clint would've been better at the constant waiting.

"Where's Agent Romanoff?" Natasha heard Fury's gruff voice call out, his steps coming closer. Natasha frowned; she'd been so caught up in her own thoughts that she had missed his arrival. That wasn't like her at all.

She stepped forward out of the shadows, stance immediately falling into soldier mode. "Right here, Sir. I've been keeping a close eyes on all of the events that have taken place. So far nothing out of the ordinary, but, then again, nothing about this work is in the ordinary."

Fury nodded sharply and began heading towards the Tesseract. Natasha followed one step behind him. "Seen anything that would set this thing off?"

Natasha shook her head. "No one's come or gone. Selvig and the others are clean, no IM's or contact with outsiders," she paused, Clint's theory swimming through her head suddenly. "If there was any tampering, Sir, it wasn't from this end."

Fury glanced over at her sharply. "At this end?"

Natasha nodded and began saying what Clint had excitedly babbled about over dinner right before she'd been assigned to this detail. "Yes, the cube is a door to the end of space. Well, doors open from both sides."

Suddenly, sparks of energy flew off of the cube, and the object began glowing even brighter. Selvig and the other scientists were running around looking worried. Just as Natasha moved herself into a defensive position, a beam of blue energy shot out across the large room, stopping about fifty feet away and creating a circle-like shape of blue energy. The center was empty, the circle growing and growing until _bam._ The energy exploded through out the room, sending blue light everywhere. When it faded, Natasha could see a man standing there.

Four agents in tactical gear moved forward slowly, their guns trained on the man that was slowly standing, a manic grin on his face that faded to a calculating smirk. In his hand he held a gold spear with a glowing blue orb at the top.

There were a few moments of tense silence, everyone staring at the newcomer. Then, "Sir! Please put down the spear!" Fury called out loudly. The man glanced at the spear in his hand as if saying _'what, this?'_ and then he was aiming and a bolt of something was shooting out of the spear. Natasha's instincts kicked in and she dove to the side, pushing Fury to the ground with her.

The soldiers opened fire and the man took them out like cattle, bullets simply ricocheting off of him. Natasha began firing at him as well, aiming for the head and hoping someone would be able to hit him. But the man was clearly trained in battle, and he shot another bolt Natasha's way at the same time as he was fighting three other men.

Natasha dove to the side again, banging her head against the wall. It stung enough to make her a little dizzy, but not enough for her to give up. So she pushed herself to her feet, doing her best to ignore the slight tilt of the world around her. Just as she turned around the man was there. She swung out her arm and he blocked it easily. She kicked out, trying to swerve away and regroup, but he grabbed her leg and twisted it painfully. Natasha grunted, hand going for her pistol, but the man slammed her head against the wall. She went slightly limp, but still managed to glare at the man.

He looked her over with something akin to intrigue covering his features. "I could use you," he said, his voice British and yet otherworldly. Then the tip of his spear was against her chest and Natasha couldn't _thinkbreatheohmygod-_

Her lungs were on fire and her veins were like ice and her mind was so full of everything and nothing that she could do anything. And then one piece of information came to the forefront. LokiLoki _Loki._ Master. Sir. She was his servant, now and forever. Loki was the King, he'd given her freedom from lie of freedom-

Natasha sheathed her weapon, looking up at _LokiKingMasterSir_ with wonder. A satisfied and cocky smile passed over his lips, and then he was moving away from her. She felt his absence like a knife in the side. She followed.

Sir was showing other people the Truth, giving them the knowledge and his Glory with one tap of his scepter. But then Fury was walking away with the Tesseract and- "Please don't," Loki said ominously, turning to face the director of SHIELD. "I still need that."

"This doesn't have to get any messier," Fury tried, a last ditch effort to get away. Natasha almost rolled her eyes from his ignorance.

"Of course it does," Loki replied condescendingly. "I've come too far for anything else." He paused for a moment, examining Fury with his intense gaze. "I am Loki, of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose." _Nothing could be closer to the truth,_ Natasha thought.

"Loki, brother of Thor!" Selvig said, standing and taking a few steps closer. Loki glanced at him in distain.

"We have no quarrel with your people," Fury said placatingly.

Loki practically rolled his eyes. "An ant has no quarrel with a boot."

"You planning to step on us?" Fury usually wasn't a talker...Natasha glanced up, looking at the mass of energy swarming above their heads. Well, that definitely didn't look good.

Natasha tuned back in just as Loki was showing Selvig the Truth. Fury made some smart ass remark, but Natasha didn't care. She moved forward swiftly. "Sir, Director Fury is stalling. This place is about to blowthat energy is going to drop 100 feet of rock on us. He means to bury us."

Fury smirked, but it was a tense expression. "Like the pharaohs of old."

Selvig nodded, looking up from his screen. "She's right, the portal is collapsing. We have maybe two minutes before it goes critical."

Loki looked at Natasha and nodded minutely. Somehow what he wanted her to do flooded into her mind instantly, and she _knew,_  and she raised her gun, shooting Fury square in the chest. Loki led the way out of the building and Natasha grabbed the case holding the Tesseract, then passed it to Selvig.

When they made it to the garage, Maria Hill looked at them strangely, giving Loki a curious glance. Natasha stepped forward. "A consultant. We need to take these two vehicles." Hill paused for a moment, looking at Loki's strange clothing, but then she nodded, turned, and walked away.

Natasha moved swiftly towards the car, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible. She was almost to the driver's seat, Loki crouched in the back of the truck, when Fury's voice called out in Maria's communicator. _"Hill, do you copy? Romanoff...compromised-"_ The walkie-talkie cut off to static.

By the time the words were out of the Director's mouth, Natasha had taken cover, shooting at Hill. The other agent ducked away, returning fire. In a brief pause, where Maria was probably reloading, Natasha dove into the driver's seat, kicking the car into gear and slamming on the gas. She could hear shots being fired from both sides, but she tried to focus on getting them out of there. An injured Loki was way better than a dead one.

"Damn!" She cursed under her breath, pressing hard on the accelerator. **  
**

"Romanoff!" The agent in the seat next to her called out harshlyshe thought his name was Burke. "We're in high pursuit, I count at least five cars following us. We don't have the resources to get out of this base right nowthey're already locking it down!"

Natasha allowed her lips to twitch in amusement. "You were put on this guard duty for a reason, Burke; you're a good agent. Put that brain of yours to good use and get us out of here." She paused, glancing in the car's review mirror. "Besides, our Master has some talents. Those could helpumph!" Natasha jerked forward as another car slammed into the back of the one she was driving. Instantly she pulled her guns from their holsters. "Grab the wheel!" she yelled sharply at Burke. The man hastily followed her order, and Natasha threw half of her body out of the car, shooting at the agents of SHIELD pursuing them.

Her master only glanced at her for a second before sending his own bolts at the SHIELD agents. One of his bolts hit one of the cars at _just_ the right angle and sent the vehicle flying; Selvig made a sound of awe from the back seat.

Maria appeared out of nowhere and swerved in front of their car, spinning her own so that the two cars were front to front. Natasha swung herself back into her seat, but kept her arms and head outside the vehicle, shooting at the _(bulletproof)_ jeep. After a bit of shooting between Maria and herself, Natasha glanced up at the ceiling of the underground road, and saw it cracking. Knowing she had to get Loki out of there before everything came down on them, Natasha punched on the gas, forcing Maria out of the way and speeding away.

Suddenly there was a resounding boom and everything started coming down. Maria tried to follow them, but was soon buried under some rock (hopefully no longer breathing). Natasha pulled the car above ground with little incident, but then a helicopter (which Natasha had a feeling housed Fury) was following them, and the former agent of SHIELD was starting to be _really_ sick of SHIELD.

Apparently Loki was feeling the same thing, because he popped to his feet and aimed his staff at the helicopter, shooting one of those destructive bolts. The ‘copter went down with a _bang_ and a small explosion. Natasha had a brief moment where she thought that maybejust _maybe_ that Fury was dead; she sighed as gun shots followed them away, letting her know that he definitely was not. Not yet, anyways.

“What do we do now?” Selvig asked, sounding unsure of himself for the first time in a long while. Natasha glanced at him but said nothing, deciding to talk to their master instead.

“Sir!” She called out the sound of crunching gravel. “What would you like to do, Sir?”

Loki crouched down once more, and she met his piercing gaze in the rearview mirror. His lips quirked. “We need a base of operations, a place to regroup and for Selvig to work on the Tesseract. And we need allies.”

Natasha smirked back. “I have a few safe houses that no one knows aboutnot even SHIELD. And as for allies, well...SHIELD most definitely has no shortage of enemies. I'm sure any number of them would happily join you."

Loki’s grin was sharp, full of teeth and Natasha’s mind screamed at her to bow her head in submission. She kept her Master’s gaze. “Perfect, my pet. Absolutely perfect.”

* * *

Clint sighed as one of the goons punched his across the face, causing his head to snap to the side. Slowly he turned to face forward again, knowing that with this type of criminals he had to keep it cool and calm.

 _"This is not how I wanted this evening to go,"_ Clint was suddenly very glad that Natasha had forced him to learn Russianwithout it this mission would definitely not be happening.

The blonde rolled his shoulder, internally smirking at the way the chubby general’s eyes followed the motion greedily. _"I know how you wanted this evening to go,"_ Clint grinned cheekily. _"They sent me instead of a pretty girl for a reason. And trust me, this is far better that what you had planned."_

General Dorosh shifted uncomfortably, glancing at his two guards, who were resolutely not looking at him. The man shook his head slightly and got back to the topic at hand. _“Who are you working for? Lermentov, yes?”_ One of the thugs stepped forward menacingly and grabbed the back of the chair Clint was tied to. He tilted it back over the edge of the hole in the floor. Clint glanced back nervously, licking his lips. _"Does he think we have to go through him to move our cargo?"_

The agent of SHIELD hid his excitement at this new piece of information well, chalking up the nervous act before asking his next question to get the guy talking. _"I thought General Solohob was in charge of the export business."_

Dorosh practically laughed out loud. “Solohob?” he said incredulously. His guard set Clint’s chair back down straight.  _"A bagman, a front! Your outdated information betrays you."_ General Dorosh turned an appraising eye to Clint, giving him a look and a onceover that made Clint’s skin crawl. _"The amazing Hawkeye, are you not? Simply a pretty face."_

Clint couldn’t help but smirk. _"You really think I'm pretty?"_

The general sighed and turned away. One of his goons pried Clint’s mouth open, to which Clint made an annoyed sound at.  _"Tell Lermentov we don't need him to move the tanks. Tell him he is out. Well..."_  The General had moved over to a table with miscellaneous torture tools, and now he picked up a plier. “You may have to write it down.” He smirked cruelly and Clint’s heart skipped a nervous beat. He took a step forward and then-

 _"Duh-nuh, duh-nuh!"_ All four people in the room started at the Jaws theme song, and Clint felt a twitch of annoyance that someone at SHIELD was calling and interrupting his mission.

Goon Number 1 (the one who _hadn’t_ tipped Clint over a freaking edge) pulled Clint’s cellphone out of his suit jacket pocket and flicked it open, muttering a quick _‘yes?’_ in Russian. After a few more seconds he passed it to Dorosh with a quiet _'_ _it’s for him.'_ Dorosh took the phone and spoke with a tone of authority, _“you listen carefully-”_ Clint couldn’t hear the person on the other side of the line, but he knew whoever it was (Hill? Natasha? No, probably Coulson) was making some very big threats to send the man’s face into such a lovely shade of pale.

General Dorosh glanced at the cell quickly and then walked it over to Clint, placing it in a position that Clint could hold it with his shoulder and ear.

 _“We need you to come in.”_ Yup, Coulson.

“Are you kidding me right now,” He snapped, annoyed. “I’m in the middle of an interrogation, and you’re ruining the fun of getting information. This jackass is giving me everything.” Dorosh made an affronted sound, glancing around, but didn’t take the phone away.

 _“This takes precedence.”_ Clint chose to ignore the grave tone of Coulson’s voice, just feeling pissed off.

“What could you possibly need me for that’s more important than this!” Clint didn’t phrase it as a question. “You can’t pull me out, I won’t allow it.”

Coulson sighed heavily, and then said the words Clint truly didn’t want to hear. _“_ Clint _. Romanoff’s been compromised.”_ Clint froze, and for a second he couldn’t breathe or think or move or do anything. Then everything snapped right into place, making everything crystal clear.

“Gimmie one sec, ‘k?” Clint looked up, gesturing at Dorosh that he could take the cell phone back. As soon as the man stepped forward and leaned in, Clint smashed his head against his, sufficiently knocking the man out with one blowhe was no Natasha in terms of fighting, but he was most certainly more skilled than these dufuses.

Goons 1 and 2 moved forward in tandem, but Clint was faster. He jumped up and then came down hard, breaking the chair down to nothing. Goon 2 grabbed his arm; Clint twisted, causing the man to let go, and then popped to his feet, shoving the heel of his palm into the guy’s nose, causing the nose bones to slam up into his passages and leave his writhing on the floor in pain. Clint grunted as a foot connected with his back, making him stumble a few steps. The agent whirled around and kicked out hard, his foot landing squarely in the man’s stomach. The man stumbled away...and fell straight down the hole in the floor. _Brilliant._

Clint took only a moment to catch his breath and then dove for the phone. “Hey, I’m back.”

_"Quite a show.”_

The blonde almost rolled his eyes, only his nervousness about his partner keeping him from any silliness. “Where is Nauh, where is Romanoff now?”

He could practically feel Coulson shaking his head. _“We don’t know.”_

“But she’s alive, right?”

 _"We think so."_ Clint felt something in his chest loosen. _“We’ll brief you when you get back. But first we need you to bring in the big guy.”_

The archer frowned. “Please tell me you don’t mean Starkfrom what Romanoff’s told me, I don’t want to deal with him.”

Coulson’s voice practically radiated his smirk. _“Oh no, I’ve got Stark. You get the_ big _big guy.”_

This pulled Clint up short as what his friend meant sunk in. "Oh, _shit."_

* * *

Clint passed the little girl a wad of twenties, thanking her quietly. He heard Banner curse silently in the other room, and moved himself into it stealthily. Banner whirled around, taking in Clint's appearance being sighing, sounding defeated. "Do they always start that young?"

Clint followed the doctor's eyes to where the little girl had disappeared, and smiled wryly. "My best friend did. I practically did." He paused. "She's not one of us, if you were wondering; not a spy. I just offered her _a lot_ of money if she brought you out here. She needed the cash."

Banner looked around nervously. "You brought me to the edge of the city." Clint quirked an eyebrow. "Smart. I uh, I assume the whole place is surrounded?"

Clint shook his head and took a seat at the small table. His hand curled around the compact bow hooked underneath it, feeling much calmer with it there. "Just you and me, Doc."

"Who are you?" Banner replied, glancing out the window.

"Clint Barton."

"Are you here to kill me, Mr. Barton?" Banner didn't sound all that perturbed by the idea, just resigned.

Clint blinked. "No! God no, I'm here to talk to you. I'm here on behalf of SHIELDthat's who I work for."

"SHIELD..." Banner sighed. "How'd they find me?"

The agent kept his tone calm and open, knowing he had to stay that way. "We never lost you, Dr. Banner, just kept our distance. Kept some... _not_ so nice parties off of your back."

"Why?"

Clint smiled, shaking his head. "Nick Fury trusts you, knows you're not just a beast. But now we really need your expertise."

Banner rose an eyebrow. "And what if I say no?"

Clint sighed, resting his elbows on the table. "Well, then I'd have to persuade you. And frankly, I'm a bit tiredI've had a rough few days."

"And what if...the _other guy_ says no?"

Clint rose his eyebrows, even as his heart thudded heavily in his chest for a moment. "You've been more than a year without an incident, Dr. Banner," he reminded, "I highly doubt you want to break that streak."

Everything about Banner was just so sad. "I don't always get a say in the matter," he murmured quietly.

"Doctor, we're facing a global catastrophy," Clint said, pulling them around to the point. He flicked open his phone and opened a picture of the glowing blue cube that Natasha had been guarding. "This is the Tesseract. It has the potential energy to wipe out the planet."

Banner picked up the phone and put on his glasses, examining the photo. "What does Fury want me to do, swallow it?"

Clint chuckled, shaking his head. "No, no, nothing like that. It was stolen, he wants you to find it. It emits a gamma signature too weak for any of us to actually trace. We want you to." He paused, tilting his head. "Bruce, there's no one who knows gamma radiation like you do. If there was, well," Clint spread his hands. "That's where I'd be."

Bruce looked at him with a calculating gaze. "So Fury doesn't want the monster, he wants my brain?" Clint nodded. "He wants me in a cage."

Clint frowned and leaned forward, hand itching towards his bow, arrow already notched. "No one's going to put you in a cage, Dr. Banner."

Bruce slammed his hand against the table. "Stop lying to me!" he yelled. Clint moved into action immediately; he yanked out his bow and flicked it open, an arrow pointed at Banner's face within seconds, adrenaline flooding his body. Bruce looked... _satisfied._

“I'm sorry, that was mean," he said gently. Clint didn't move, heart beating far too quickly. "I just...I had to know what you'd do." He put up his hands in a placating gesture. "Why don't we do this the easy way, where you don't use that and the other guy stays locked away, okay?" Clint forced his body to start relaxing. "Clint?" Clint slowly lowered the bow, feeling very stupid for reacting so strongly.

_“Agent Barton! We will move in in 5, 4, 3-”_

Clint put a hand to his ear, not having even realized that other agents had been talking to him this whole time. “Stand down, we’re good in here.”

“Just you and me, huh?” Bruce sighed, looking way too satisfied with himself.

Clint scowled.

* * *

Shielding his eyes against the sun, Clint made his way towards the jet that was landing. He saw Coulson emerge with someone who could be none other than Captain America. Coulson looked at him as he approached.

“Agent Barton,” the suited man smiled. “Meet Steve Rogers.”

Clint put forward his hand to the Captain. “Nice to meet you.” They shook, and then Clint turned to face Coulson. “They want you on the bridge, they’re starting the face trace.” Coulson nodded and headed off, bidding them both goodbye. Clint turned to face Captain Rogers, motioning for them to walk. Steve followed him. “Everyone around here practically shit their pants when you were foundI thought Coulson was going to swoon.” Steve glanced around, looking shy. “Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?”

The soldier smiled. “Trading cards?”

Clint smirked back. "Oh, yeah. They’re vintagehe’s very proud.”

Just then Steve caught sight of a very lost-looking Bruce, and Steve called out to him. “Dr. Banner!” Bruce looked up and walked over.

“Oh, yeah, hi,” Bruce said faintly, shaking Steve’s hand. “They told me you’d be coming.”

“Word is you can find the Cube,” Steve said kindly. Bruce looked away awkwardly.

“Is that the... _only_ word on me?”

Steve looked at him intensely. “Only word I care about.” Bruce nodded.

“This must be really strange for you,” Bruce said, gesturing around the Helicarrier top.

Steve smiled, shaking his head slightly. “Actually, all of this stuff is pretty familiar.”

Clint looked at all of the men running around hurriedly, and understood what was about to happen. “Guys, I hate to break up the party, but you might want to step inside. It’s gonna get really hard to breathe really fast.” Rogers and Banner followed Clint’s eyes and looked down at the water.

Bruce’s eyes widened slightly. “You guys seriously are going to put me in an enclosed space under water? You think that’s smart?” Clint just smirked as they watched the Helicarrier lift in awe. “Oh no, this is much worse,” Banner sighed.

Clint only shook his head. “Come on, we have a place to be.” He quickly led the two other men off of the Top and down to the bridge where Fury had wanted them all to amass.

Banner looked around nervously, moving away from the guards that were stationed. Steve looked around in amazement, admiring everything like a small child would.

Fury walked over to them. “Gentlemen, thank you for coming.” Steve moved forward, paid Fury ten dollars, and then kept looking around. Banner kept moving around nervously, and Clint leaned against the table. Banner and Fury exchanged some pleasantries, then Coulson explained what they were doing to find Loki. _It won’t be soon enough,_ Clint though miserably. He zoned out while Banner began talking science, and then back in at the sound of his name.

“Agent Barton, could you show Dr. Banner to his work area?” Clint nodded, then waved his hand for Bruce to follow him.

“You’re gonna love it, Doc. We’ve got all the toys.”

* * *

Clint pulled the jet to a stop and looked over at Steve, dressed up in his Captain America outfit. “You’re up, Cap.” The man in spandex nodded, heading towards the back of the jet. Clint opened it with the flip of a switch, and the Captain dove straight out the back, landing perfectly and saving an elderly man’s life.

Clint watched Captain America and the man called Loki fight for a bit, hands itching to go beat the so-called god in the face over and over again and find his partner.

Suddenly a song began blaring from the jet’s speakers, and then Iron Man was joining the fight, and Loki was surrendering, and it was all way too _simple._ But Clint kept his thoughts to himself, but then the freaking _god of Thunder_ came to Earth again and stole their prisoner. Iron Man and Captain America _(wasn’t his life weird now)_ argued for a moment and then both were gone. “Freaks,” Clint muttered good-naturedly.

When they finally had the prisoner back (along with a new passenger) they went back to the Helicarrier. Loki was escorted to the holding cell that had been designed to hold the Hulk, and Clint couldn’t help but sneak in after Fury, stealthily keeping to the shadows until he reached a place where he could raise himself up on a balconyhe’d always seen better from up high and/or at a distance.

Fury talked, Loki taunted, Fury left, and everything fell silent.

“Are you planning on coming out, Hawk? Or are you just going to sit and watch me?” Loki’s voice startled Clint, and he narrowed his eyes. _What would Natasha do? How would she get information from the god of lies?_

_She’d tell the truth._

Clint hopped down from his perch and stalked forward, looking at the god with wariness. "You act like you knew I'd be here." _ **  
**_

Loki smirked, a self-satisfied expression. "After. After whatever tortures _Fury_ can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as an ally, and I would cooperate."

The agent of SHIELD forced himself to bite back the sarcastic remark that threatened to escape as a reflex. He needed to stick with honestyand sarcasm definitely didn't fall under that catagory. "I want to know what you've done with Agent Romanoff."

The god's expression was far too innocent to be true, and Clint saw right through it. "I'd say I've expanded her mind."

Clint took a few steps forward, head tilting. "And after you've won, once you're King of the Rock, what happens to her mind?"

Loki's smile was all teeth, all bite, all predator. "Oh, is this _love,_ Agent Barton?"

Once more Clint bit back his rude remarks; he was a spy, an assassinhe wasn't used to telling the whole truth. "Possibly," he said, albeit begrudgingly.

One, two, three, four steps backwards Loki took, until the black-haired man was sitting lazily on the bench inside his cell. He looked thoroughly amused. "Do tell."

Clint hesitated, his instincts screaming at him to just grab his knives and _force_ the answer from the non-Asgardian. But he knew that that wouldn't work. The truth would. _(Probably. Possibly.)_ So Clint took another step forward, sat in the chair that was provided, and told the truth for the first time in a very long time. "I had what you could call a...crappy childhood. When SHIELD got to me I hadn't exactly been fighting the good fight. But they fixed me up, Coulson especially had a part in that. So for all of my...sarcasm, I followed orders. Better than most."

He paused, fists clenching briefly, but continued when he remembered why he was talking about this. "Agent Romanoff had gained a name for herself, before joining SHIELD. She had a particular skillset and didn't mind who she used it foror on. I was ordered to eliminate her. I made a different call."

Loki nodded, looking completely at ease and utterly intense at the same time. "And what would you do if I vowed to spare her?"

"Anything." Clint didn't even hesitate.

Loki grinned and stood in one fluid motion. "Oh, I _like_ this. Your world in the balance and you bargain for one woman."

Clint felt an itch of agitation. "Regimes fall everydayI would know, I help take them down sometimes. I don't loose sleep over it; there's no point in doing so. I'm a spy, an assassin."

Loki stalked forward. "But what are you really? A lonely little boy, desperate for affection? Isn't that why you're truly here, Agent Barton? Your whole life you've been abandoned, your parents, your brother, so many morebut not _Tasha,_ never _precious_ Tasha. You're so terrified of being alone that you would sacrifice the world for the only person to actually care about you." He grinned, expression sharp. "Oh yes, Romanoff told me everything about you. Your ledger is dripping red, you are worth _nothing_ and you think saving a woman no more virtuous than yourself could change anything? This is the basest sentimentality. This is a _child_ at _prayer._ Pathetic! You lie and kill, in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code. Something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will _never_ go away.”

As Loki’s fist slammed against the glass, causing Clint to flinch violently; Clint realized that the god had been slowly prowling forward this whole time. “I won’t touch Romanoff, not until I make her kill youslowly, intimately, in every way she knows you fear. Then she’ll wake just long enough to see her good work, and as she screams I’ll split her skull.”

Nausea coursed thickly through Clint, and he didn’t even try to mask his horror, shoulders shaking minutely. He felt as if he was going to puke. _All of this,_ his mind whimpered, _all you got was terrified and hurt, not a lick of real information._

“This is my bargain you mewling rod,” Loki snarled out as Clint turned away, unable to look at the god’s face any longer.

“You’re a monster,” he hissed back.

Clint could practically hear the cheshire grin in Loki’s voice when he spoke. “Oh no, _you_ brought the monster.”

Clint worked it out and immediately forced himself to straighten, forced all of his fear and hurt and pain under his perfect mask. He turned back to face Loki, looking at the other man with fake _(looks real enough)_ indifference. “So, Banner, that’s your play.” Loki’s surprised expression was almost worth the painful beating of his heart.

_Almost._

Clint turned and rose his hand to his ear to alert Fury to the new development when he froze at the sight in front of him. There she was, looking just as powerful as ever, radiating with glory. She stared at him with ice blue eyes that were _wrong, oh so wrong,_ her gaze unseeing. He didn’t know what to do.

Clint pressed the button on his communicator. “Director,” he was aware of how weak his voice sounded. “Loki plans to unleash the hulk.” Clint didn’t wait for confirmation, pulling the small devise from his ear and dropping it to the floor. “Natasha?” he said hesitantly.

“Agent Romanoff did tell me _everything_ about you, Agent Barton. One of which is that you can't beat her in single combat, _especially_ not if she's fighting to kill. Shooting, yes, you’re unmatched. But hand to hand…” Loki made a _tsk, tsk, tsk_ sound, sounding thoroughly amusedagain.

“Sir,” Natasha’s voice was empty of emotion, and it sent a chill down Clint’s spine. “Would you like for me to eliminate the hostile?” Clint tensed, falling automatically into a fighting stance, but Loki only chuckled.

“No need, my Spider. The Hawkling here would never do you any real harm. Besides, he did promise me anything for your life. I’m considering allowing him that.” Clint couldn’t help but turn and look at Loki in confusion.

“What do you mean?” Clint was perfectly aware of Natasha moving towards the control panel, but he frankly didn’t carenot if it meant he could somehow get her back. “You have your freedom, you even have her. What could I possibly offer you?”

Loki’s door slid open, but Clint didn’t turn to the control panel. He was completely at the god of Chaos’s mercy, as well as the Black Widow’sif either of them decided to end him, he’d be dead.

“Don't sell yourself short, Agent Barton! You happen to be one of the best marksmen alive. Having you would be useful...as well as amusing. Two of their own, by my side. One even willingly."

Clint’s blood ran cold at the suggestion. He got ready to tell the man to go directly to Hell, but he couldn’t force the words out of his mouth. If there was a chance of saving Natasha...well, he'd have to take it. Besides, he could be Fury's double agent if they weren't all immediately killedit _could_ be useful. "Then let's work out the nasty details of this deal before anyone else comes and ruins your whole thing."

Loki grinned and prowled towards Clint. He placed his hand on the agent's cheek, and Clint jerked away. Not from the touch itself, but from the electricity that seemed to flow from the god's hand. "It is very simple, Hawk. You do everything I ask, and when I win, your _lovely_ Natasha will be set free alive, my control removed."

"And in one piece, healthy and whole," Clint added, knowing how these kind of things worked. Loki nodded in approval. "And I won't kill any of my friends."

Loki's grin was filled with mocking pity suddenly, and Clint wanted to punch him for it. "Do you even _have_ any friends, Agent Barton?" Clint clenched his teeth but stayed silent, refusing to rise to the bait. Loki took a few steps away, sighing dramatically. "Fine, you will not have to kill anyone you deem a friend. Do we have a deal?"

Clint barely hesitated a moment before he once again nodded sharply. He abruptly felt very much like Ariel from _The Little Mermaid,_ signing away something he didn’t realize the value of. He pushed past the thoughts. “First decree, _Boss?”_ He put as much sarcasm into the last word as possible, but deeply regretted it when Loki was suddenly right there, his hand squeezing tightly around Clint’s throat.

“My first order,” Loki said slowly, deliberately, voice dangerously low. “If that you do not talk back to me in that tone you seem so fond of.”

Black spots were dancing in front of Clint’s eyes, so he nodded his agreement immediately. Loki let him go just as quickly as he’d grabbed him, and Clint just barely managed to keep himself from collapsing into a coughing fit of the floor. _Manthat’ll leave a bruise,_ he thought dryly. “What do you want me to do?” He coughed weakly. When Loki remained silent, Clint looked up at him. The god had an expectant expression on his face. Clint swallowed his pride. “What do you need me to do, Sir?”

Loki grinned, satisfied. “Much better, my Hawk. Submission looks good on you. Now, I want you to go fetch my scepter. I do not care what you have to do to get it. In fact,” he added, looking way too pleased with himself. “Kill anyone who tries to stand in your way. Minus your _friends,_ of course.”

Clint bit his tongue to keep from making any smart aleck remarks. “Of course. It’s in the lab.” He glanced hesitantly at Natasha, who was watching them with the same blank expression from before. “Where should I meet you?”

Once again, Loki smirked. _(Does this guy even_ have _an expression other than evil smirk and death glare?)_ “When you have it, go to the airstrip that sits atop this hovering vessel. You will know where to go from there when you arrive.”

Clint really wanted to ask more questions _(like where the hell am I supposed to go?!)_ but once again bit his tongue. He turned on his heels and jogged out of the containment area. He boarded the first elevator he saw, heading up to the lab where he had taken Banner just the day before. Surprisingly enough, when he arrived, the room was empty. There was a hole in the floor and the smell of smoke, but Clint didn’t let himself dwell on what could’ve happened to all the techies that were supposed to be helping Banner and Starknot to mention what could’ve happened to Banner…

Just as the thought crossed his mind, an ear shattering _roar_ sounded from the floor beneath. Well, Loki’s plan to release the hulk had worked. Apparently.

He shook all of those thoughts away and grabbed the scepter-spear-thing. It tingled in his grasp, calling out to him with whispers of the power he could have if he wielded it just the right way...Once more Clint shook thoughts from his mind, knowing for a fact that if he even tried to use the magic-spear, Loki would know and would hurt him for it. It was a test.

Clint jogged back to the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor, leg bouncing nervously. _If anyone asks, you’re taking the spear to safety. That’s all._

After what felt like an incredibly long time, Clint reached the top of the Helicarrier. So many agents were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. It was then that Clint noticed that one of the engines was burning profusely, and another wasn’t even working. The ‘Carrier was going down.

Clint scanned the roof of the Helicarrier, trying to find what Loki said that he’d _‘know’_ to go to. _There!_ In the middle of the panic, a quinjet was parked, it’s bay door open. Two guards in full tactical gear were at the entrance, stiffening anytime on of the SHIELD agents came a little too close to the jet. Clint ran over. When they spotted him heading towards them, both guards rose their big guns and pointed them at his chest, taking aim.

“Whoa, whoa! Cool your jets, I'm a friendly!” He yelled. He rose the spear so that they could see it. They didn’t lower their weapons, but didn’t shoot either, which Clint saw as a win.

When he arrived at the quinjet, he winked. “I got the spear, where’s the big Boss-Man?”

Both guards looked utterly incredulous. “Aren’t you Hawkeye?” Guard One spat, his tone a mix between skeptical and surprised. Clint simply nodded.

“Yup, and I’m working for Loki, so if either of you could point me in the right direction-”

“You have it,” Loki’s sudden voice had them all spin around in defensive positions, and then relax (slightly) at who it was. Clint nodded again and followed Loki and Natashawho was by the god’s sideonto the quinjet. The two guards came as well, and both moved into the co-pilot's seats, closing the bay doors and lifting them off of the ground and into the air. Loki snatched the scepter from Clint’s hand greedily, eyeing it happily. “Very good, Barton. _Very_ good…”

Clint took a slightly-uneasy step away, taking a seat in one of the open seats. “You’re notyou’re not going to use that thing on me...are you?” Loki’s expression was one of considering, and it made Clint twitch.

“No,” Loki decided. “No, I think it is much more fun to watch you truly bend to my will, instead of taking it. Yes, yes I will leave you... _free.”_ The way he said it left to doubt in Clint’s mind that Loki knew that absolutely wasn’t the case; Clint didn't have his freedom as long as Natasha didn't.

* * *

Clint stood protectively by Dr. Selvig's side while he placed the finishing touches on the machine holding the Tesseract. He instantly came to attention when he saw Iron Man flying towards them; He notched an arrow and raised his bow.

"Stand down, Agent Barton," came the electronic voice when he was hovering close enough. "Shut the machine off."

Clint shook his head sadly, remorse tightening his chest. _It's for Natasha._ "Sorry, Mr. Stark, but I really can't do that. Besides, it can't be shut off, not anymore. It's running itself."

"It's shown us so much!" Selvig cut in, voice breathless. "A new universe."

Clint could practically hear Stark's sigh from where he stood. Iron Man rose his hands, palms out, and shot two beams at the machine. Instantly a field of blue erupted, shielding the Tesseract, protecting it. The force of the blow knocked Clint off of his feet, but he quickly shot back up, shaking his head to clear the black spots in his vision. Stark was heading inside, as was Loki, both of them staring at each other intensely. Clint hesitated, remaining at Selvig's side; then Loki glanced at him and nodded minutely, so Clint followed Stark into the building, arrow still knocked, but not aimed at anything, facing downward.

Stark moved towards his liquor area _(man, that was a lot of alcohol)_ but Clint went to stand protectively by Loki. Stark's eyes flicked between the two of them before Loki spoke. "Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity."

"Uh, actually, I'm planning to threaten you," Stark said, leaning against the counter.

"You should've left your armor on for that."

"Yeah...well, it's seen a bit of mileage and you've got the glow stick of destiny," once again Stark's eyes flicked towards Clint. "I assume that happened to him, right? Like Agent Romanoff?"

Loki grinned and Clint shifted uneasily, looking at the floor. "Oh no, Agent Barton is here completely of his own free will."

"Hmm," Stark began pouring himself a drink. "Would you like a drink?"

Loki's smile seemed to not want to leave his face. "Stalling me won't change anything."

"No, no, not stalling, _threatening._ No drink, you sure? I'm having one." Clint kept his eyes on Stark as Loki turned to face the wall of windows.

“The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?”

“The Avengers,” Stark said it so simply that Clint had to hold back a snort. At Loki’s confused look, Stark continued with a roll of his eyes. “That's what we call ourselveswe're sort of like a team. _‘Earth's Mightiest Heroes’_ type thing."

Loki grinned, teasing. “Yes, I've met them.”

Stark grinned back, but there was no amusement in his eyes. “Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But let's do a head count here: your brother the demi-god…” Loki turned away harshly, and Stark began moving something with his hands. Clint moved forward, raising his bow.

“Stark, I would seriously advise you against whatever it is you’re planning.” The genius froze, and Clint continued forward, up the small staircase until he was standing next to the billionaire. On one of Stark’s wrists was a shining silver bracelet that definitely hadn’t been there before, and a matching one sitting on the counter in front of him. Clint took both.

“Well, aren’t you a party pooper,” Stark said, trying to sound light; but Clint could see the tension in his expression.

“I am sorry, Mr. Stark. But with my options, I don’t have a choice.” Clint tried, his voice gentle. When Stark looked away, Clint moved back down to Loki, who was watching the exchange with a calculating expression. Stark mossied slowly down the stairs after Clint, sipping his scotch.

“You won’t win, Loki. There is no version of this where you come out on top. _Maybe_ your army comes and _maybe_ it’s too much for us but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth you can be damn well sure we’ll avenge it.” Stark finished his speech with a hard tone, sounding far more serious than Clint had ever heard him.

Loki stalked forward. “How will your friends have time for me, when they’re so busy fighting you.” The god lifted his spear and touched the tip against Stark’s arc reactor. It clinked, but did nothing else. Clint sighed, and Loki tried once more. “This usually works.”

“Well, you know, performance issues...Not uncommonone out of five-” Loki lifted Stark by his throat and tossed him across the room. Stark landed on his stomach with an _'_ _oomph.’_ Loki stood still for a moment, not doing anything. Then he turned to face Clint with a wicked grin.

“My Hawk,” he practically purred. Clint fought the urge to take a bunch of steps back. “Kill him.”

Both Clint and Stark looked up at the god sharply, and spoke at the same time. “What?” “No killing!”

Loki’s grin sharpened. He moved quickly over to Clint’s side and grabbed his arm, yanking him towards where Tony Stark now sat on the floor. “Oh yes, Barton. You still need to prove your loyalty.”

“I got your scepter for you!”

Loki nodded sagely. “Yes, but that wasn’t so hard, was it? Now killing a person for me...that would be a _true_ sign of loyalty.” When Clint didn’t move, Loki’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t want Ms. Romanoff to be hurt, now would you?” Clint’s head snapped up. “I could make her bite off her tongue.”

Pain and nervousness twisted in Clint’s chest. He pulled his dagger from where it sat at his hip, then moved cautiously towards Stark.

“Agent Barton!” Stark pleaded, his panic clearly evident. “You don’t have to do this!”

An idea suddenly occurred to Clint. “Would you say we were friends, Mr. Stark?” He asked desperately. Loki made an irritated noise behind him, but didn’t do anything to interfere. “MrTony. Tony, would you consider us friends?” He thought his voice might’ve taken on a desperate edge, but he didn’t care as long as it got his message across.

Tony’s confusion was written all over his face, but he nodded hesitantly. “Um, yeah... _Clint._ Yeah, I would.” Clint bit back his sigh of relief, and turned to face Loki smugly.

“Part of our deal, Sir. I don’t have to kill anyone I consider a friend. And Tony is one of those people.” Loki looked just about ready to rip Clint’s throat out. Knowing he seriously had to salvage the situation, he sunk to his knees, bowing his head in falsified respect. “We could knock him out, take him prisoner. He could be an example to the others of what will happen if they go against you,” he hesitated, but forced the next words out of his mouth. “I am yours to command, Sir. Your arrow, your Hawk.”

Loki was silent above him, until he grunted. “It is a good thing you know how to submit, Barton. I was seriously considering putting you under my complete control.” Clint looked up and nodded. “Rise, Barton. Your plan is acceptable. Go, knock him unconscious and tie him up. Then you will protect Selvig while my Spider and I take out the rest of them.”

Clint nodded once more. “Yes, Sir.” He moved quickly to his feet and over to where Tony sat, looking dazed. “I’m going to put you out now,” he said gently. “When you wake up you’ll have a killer headache, but it’s better than being dead.” Tony nodded his assent, but looked very unhappy about it. Clint pulled a small syringe from a pocket on his vest, then plunged it into the other man’s neck. Within seconds Tony’s eyelids fluttered and then shut, his body falling limply to the floor. Clint made quick work of tying him up, then stood.  


"He should be out for at least eight hours," Clint offered, knowing what Loki would want to know. The god nodded, looking out the window distractedly. "Sir, where is...your Spider?" He hated having to use the name Loki had given her, knowing that Natasha was no one's _anything;_ she owned herself.

Loki looked amused, as he always got when Clint was around Natasha or brought her up. "She is fine, Hawkling, do not worry yourself." Loki once more turned and looked thoughtfully out of the wall of windows, hands clasped behind his straight back. He stood like a king.

Suddenly the building shook minutely, and Loki's feral grin came back. "The portal is open," he said with reverence. The god turned an appraising eye towards Clint. "I've changed my mind, you will join me on the battlefield." He paused and grinned from ear to ear. "Come now, my Hawk. We have a war to win."


End file.
